There is a lot of talk about metabolism and its impact on weight loss. But what is real and what are myths?
First, let’s define metabolism.
- It’s your own internal personal trainer working 24/7 to burn calories.
- Even while you are sleeping, your metabolism keeps your body functioning by converting the food and nutrients you eat into the energy your body needs in order to survive.
- It works at different intensities in different people.
Everyone has different metabolic rates, and this can be influenced by your genetics. What are some other things that affect metabolism?
- Your age affects your metabolism since it usually slows down as you age. This is usually due to loss of muscle, changes in cells, and more importantly, becoming less active as you age.
- A slower metabolism means you burn less calories, which means more fat storage in your body. In fact, by the time you reach 65, you burn 500 less calories than you did at age 25.
- Unfortunately, you can’t completely stop your metabolism from slowing down as you age, but exercise may give you a boost. Staying active as you grow older can help curb a metabolism slowdown.
So naturally, you may wonder – can you speed up your metabolic rate? In reality, it is hard to change your metabolic rate. You also want to beware of over-the-counter supplements that promise a faster metabolism. The truth of the matter is, most of these claims are false, and some may even be harmful.
But there are some things that can help improve it and more importantly, keep it from slowing down even more. Here are some tips:
- Exercise – specifically high intensity workouts can be beneficial-especially in the few hours after working out.
- Strength Training with adequate protein intake. Working out builds muscle, which in turn can improve metabolic rates.
- A few studies have found that drinking about three cups of green tea helped boost metabolism enough to burn an average of 100 extra calories a day.
- Get better sleep. Make sure to get 7-8 hours of good quality sleep.
- Reduce your stress.
- Make sure to get enough calories – too little calories make you conserve energy, making you stop fat burning.
I would love to help you improve your metabolism and lose weight. More importantly, help you reverse the health problems that often go hand in hand with excess weight. In fact, this is my specialty so reach out to us today and let’s jump start your weight loss together.
